A Far-sighted Businessman

There are two very different sides to Pakistan’s printing industry. Small and extremely small businesses predominate in rural areas, yet some print shops in business hubs such as Karachi are hardly any different from industrial enterprises in the West. Saima Packaging is a perfect example.

Karachi is definitely not a place for anyone who has a fear of crowds. With an estimated 15 million inhabitants, this city in the south of Pakistan is one of the world’s largest population centers. Karachi is the country’s number one industrial, trade, transport, financial and cultural hub. It comes as no great surprise, then, that it is also Pakistan’s richest city. Annual per capita earnings here are four to five times the national average of around 1,000 U.S. dollars (705 euros). This inevitably attracts a steady flow of people from rural areas to the metropolis, which is now completely over-populated. Around 50 different languages and dialects are spoken in Karachi, which is a melting pot of ethnic groups. Like other mega cities, it is a place of extreme contrasts – from the glitz and glamour of downtown Karachi to the severe hardship in the sprawling slums.

Muhammad Yousuf Tinwala knows the city and its unique features like the back of his hand. He grew up there in a two-room apartment with his parents and 10 brothers and sisters. Muhammad Yousuf worked very hard from an early age, starting from small beginnings, rolling up his sleeves and repeatedly taking risks. Today, the 62 year old likes buying expensive watches and shoes – things he could only dream of before. He is one of those people who have worked their way to the top and made something of themselves – in this case the founder, sole owner and managing director of Saima Packaging Pvt. Ltd., one of Pakistan’s largest packaging printers. Despite the watches and shoes, Muhammad Yousuf has always maintained his down-to-earth attitude. He is very conscious of his roots, of where he started out, and has not let success go to his head.